Spyware top of the charts as IT threat
Spyware top of the charts as IT threat
Jan 25, 2005: Two-thirds of IT managers and administrators claim that spyware will be the number one threat to network security over the course of 2005, according to a survey conducted by WatchGuard.
Sixty-six percent of the people questioned in the survey said that spyware will pose a greater threat to networks than viruses or phishing attacks, and sixty-five percent said that between viruses, spyware and phishing, their networks are least protected from spyware.
Despite these results, only 38 percent of executives within organisations said that dealing with spyware was a top priority, whilst 54 percent chose to concentrate on just the threat of viruses.
Mark Stevens, the chief strategy officer at WatchGuard, said: "This survey shows the real trepidation IT managers have for spyware, while many others in their organisation are unfamiliar to the threat.
"In order to ensure network protection, education is the best defence. All users need to fully understand the security risks and financial impact associated with spyware attacks, as well as what practices they can implement to protect themselves and the network."
Stevens added that the alignment of security goals between IT managers and executive decision-makers is also crucial to network protection. He said that the survey revealed how important it is to align the focus of IT managers and executives.
WatchGuard has published two guides to help organisations protect themselves against spyware attacks. "Spyware Risk: It's Time to Get Smart", and "Spyware Remediation: It's Not "Mission Impossible"".
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